Former pastor, others remembering Danville murder victims

DANVILLE, Ky. (WKYT) - The Mitchellsburg Baptist Church, where Michael and Angela Hockensmith started serving just months ago, sits just off the road with a welcome sign displaying a scripture verse. A closer look shows the words, "the son of man has come to save that which was lost." Lost. A word that this church and others are now feeling after the murder of the Hockensmiths at their pawn shop on Friday.

"It's tough on the community in Danville, it's tough on the church in Mitchellsburg, it's tough on their family," said Greg Haynes, who first heard of the terrible crime on Friday morning, only to later learn he knows the victims closely.

"Just a punch in the gut," described the pastor who hired Michael as his youth pastor at Woodlawn Baptist in Lebanon.

Even though the shooter is still on the run, Haynes said he knows what his friend would say in this time, "Michael would say 'Forgive him and love him just as Jesus loves us.'"

Forgiveness is a hard task for the day after, especially with so many questions left unanswered.

"I just think it's horrible that the kids have gone through this," said Alexandra Dixon, a customer of the pawn shop, who felt compelled to bring flowers to the makeshift memorial outside the front door.

"I don't know them personally, but I just think it's awful and it's so close to home."

Still those that know the couple say they were always at each other's side.

"I don't remember anywhere that one of them went and the both of them wasn't together," recalled Haynes.

Which is how this couple will likely be remembered, as spending their final moments together.

One church member at Mitchellsburg Baptist said the pastor is taking the loss very hard, and that he doesn't plan on preaching on Sunday. Instead, they're just going to have a time of prayer.

A memorial fund for the Hockensmith family has been set up through PNC Bank.

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